Tony Nominees From ‘Into the Woods,’ ‘Sweeney Todd’ and More Share How Co-Stars Improved Their Performances

variety.com:

Gordon Cox Theater Editor As they say in “Into the Woods”: It takes two. And not just in “Into the Woods.” The 2023 Tony nominations remind us several times over that sometimes an actor’s role is so closely tied to another that it’s difficult to imagine a performance without the organic give-and-take shared with a co-star.

From “Into the Woods,” there’s Sara Bareilles and Brian D’Arcy James, both contenders for Tony Awards as lead performers for their work in the tightly linked roles of the Baker and the Baker’s Wife.

Among their fellow nominees, there’s Ben Platt and Micaela Diamond as an accused murderer and the steadfast wife who strives to exculpate him in “Parade,” plus Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford as the murderous barber and the baker who loves him in “Sweeney Todd.” And the two lead roles in “Topdog/Underdog” and “Some Like It Hot” are so intertwined that these co-stars find themselves competing in the same category against a castmate.    “Finding your character is a collaboration between you, the director, the piece and the other actor you’re working with,” says Ashford, who stars as Mrs.

Lovett opposite Groban’s Sweeney in the nominated revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical. “In my case, I find myself crawling for three hours all over the rock and the tree that is Josh’s character, trying to get him to love me!”  Her co-star Groban notes, “On the one hand, as characters Annaleigh and I are on very different journeys in the show.